South Padre Island KOA Review & Rating

South Padre Island KOA Overview:

Review and Rating of South Padre Island KOA in South Padre Island

Wow, what a fantastic RV park with everything you would expect of a top rated park - outstanding location, good sites, a variety of cabins and lodging options, clean and well maintained, friendly service, and lots of fun amenities. South Padre Island KOA has it all and has a right to claim "RV Sites in Paradise" and is well deserving of it's 2014 KOA President's and Founder's Awards for exceptional quality standards and for being recognized by their guests for outstanding service. They also made Texas Outside's list of the 25 best RV Parks in Texas.

We must admit, we're a little biased toward KOA's because of their high standards for their Parks and their emphasis on providing quality service and a memorable experience. To use they are like going to a high quality chain steak house like Ruth Chris Steakhouse - you know what to expect and it's always a memorable experience.

South Padre Island KOA is a perfect location - less than a quarter mile from the causeway leading to the mainland, right on Laguna Madre Bay, next to Pier 19 for food and fishing, across the street from Schlitterbahn Water Park, less than a half mile to the beach, and close to lots of great restaurants and shops plus more fun things to do, several of which are within walking distance.

The main streets are all paved and wide enough for big rigs to maneuver through out the Park. The sites and level and up to 98' feet long. The Park is dog and kid friendly.

Throughout the year, particularily during the winter, South Padre KOA hosts several events and activities like sunset socials with live music, pot luck dinners, themed parties including a tropical luau, southern hoedown, and a hippie party.

The KOA staff and work campers are very friendly and helpful.

Amenities and Fun Things To Do:

South Padre Island has 202 full hook-up sites with flat and level white stone pads. Each of the sites have some type of landscaping (some palm trees and other tropical landscaping), a picnic table, water, 30 and 50 AMP, sewer and cable hook-ups. The sites are up to 98 feet long and a combination of back in, pull through, and nose in. Some of the sites have great textured concrete patios and the 12 Regal Sites, which face Laguna Madre Bay have a large wooden deck with a table and chairs - what a fantastic place for a cup of coffee or a drink and stunning sunset.

The Premier sites are on the outer edge of the park and face north overlooking the wetlands, Laguna Madre Bay and the Causeway. There are 5 sites in the same location with the Premier sites that are great for tents and they only have water and electric hook-ups.

The only complaint we have about South Padre Island KOA's is that the sites are very close together (great for getting to know you neighbors), the rock pads are painful on the feet (paved or small finely crushed rock or grass would be better - at the beach you want to go barefoot!), and some of the hook-ups may require sewer, cable, or water hose extensions - a minor complaint and it's hard to be perfect! I talked to owner about the rock parking pads and they don't have any other options because the sites are sitting on top of a bog.

If you don't have a camper or friends and family are joining you, South Padre Island KOA has several lodging options:

Deluxe Waterfront Cabin Lodges that are a stones throw from and overlook Laguna Madre Bay and sleep 4 to 6 and fully furnished and have a deck and patio and stunning sunsets over the Bay These very clean and functional lodges have one bedroom with a queen bed, 2 bunk beds, and a sleeper sofa. The living area has a dining table and 4 chairs, the sleeper sofa, and a flat screen TV. The bedroom has a TV and its own AC. The bathroom is complete with a shower. The kitchen is fully equipped with everything you need to cook all the fish you catch - cook top range, utensils, pots and pans, dishes, etc. Plus a microwave, full refrigerator, coffee pot, and more. But best of all is the deck with a table and chairs (perfect for a cold drink and watching the sun set) and a textured concrete patio with a good sized charcoal grill.

Deluxe Cabin Loft Lodge - these two bedroom units (queen bed and bunk beds) have a loft with mattresses that are perfect for kids, and a futon sleeper plus a full bathroom, kitchen (with cooktop, microwave, and full size refrigerator), and a dinette and four chairs.

Studio Deluxe Cabin Lodge which sleeps up to four in a queen bed and two bunk beds has a microwave, mini refrigerator, and dining area with four chairs.

Tower Condos are in a renovated water tank tower with fantastic views of Laguna Madre Bay and they have one bedroom with a queen bed, a futon sleeper sofa, two full baths, and a fully equipped kitchen

Kitchenette Condo Unit which is also in the renovated water tank tower and has a pool view, one bedroom with a queen bed, a futon, 2 full baths, and a kitchen with a microwave and small refrigerator

Airstream Travel Trailers are located in two of the RV sites and sleep up to 4 people in a queen and fold down couch

One of the other reasons we rate South Padre Island KOA so high is because of the long list of amenities, some of which include: :

sandy playground with a playscape, tether ball, and sand box

camp store with some basic staples as well as some RV supplies

K-9 Kamp pet playground

fitness area with a variety of exercise equipment

25 meter heated pool and hot tub

propane sales

restrooms, showers, and laundry

3 lane boat ramp

recreation room with comfortable couches and a big screen, ping pong table, dart board, and games

a meeting room with a full kitchen

dump station

basketball hoop and two horseshoe courts

free wireless internet and expanded cable options

One of the most popular spots at South Padre Island KOA seems to be the large wood deck with chairs and tables overlooking Laguna Madre Bay - each evening during our visit groups from two to ten would meet at the deck with their drinks of choice and wait for the stunning sunset!

Throughout the year you can enjoy a wide variety of South Padre Island KOA sponsored activities which range from breakfast get togethers, sunset watching parties, dances, s'mores, summer movies, pool aerobics, and more.

One of the first things we noticed was how friendly all the KOA visitors were - very outgoing and sociable and as you stroll through the park you'll notice gettogethers for pot luck dinners, appetizers, or cocktails.

A Typical Texas Outsider Day:

Wow, where do I start with a typical day at South Padre Island KOA! We love South Padre Island because there is so much to do and it's all within 3 to 4 miles of South Padre Island KOA, meaning that each day is something different and may include:

bike rides to the beach or a longer bike ride for lunch, drinks, appetizers, or the sunsets

drive up to the end of the Island to rent ATVs or drive the car on the beach

enjoy an eco tour to learn about the fish and bay ecology and watch the dolphin frolicking in the Bay

several times during our stay we walked over to Pier 19 to watch the sunset, sip a margarita, rent some fishing gear to catch dinner off the end of the pier, enjoy an appetizer or dinner, or watch the pirate ship attack the pirate on the pier

go fishing on the Osprey or another fishing boat

do all the typical beach things - make sand castles, fly kites, play football or bocce ball, toss frisbees, or play in the surf

go parasailing, for a sunset sail on a catamaran, or ride horses on the beach

try some of the great restaurants and enjoy drinks at the beach bars or lively night spots

head across the causeway for golf, the pirate ship, or the fast speedboat ride

To lean more about each of these, read our Vacation on South Padre Island article.

On our last visit to South Padre Island KOA we walked across the street and 3 blocks to spend an afternoon at the indoor waterpark at Schlitterbahn - read about our afternoon at Schlitterbahn.

Cool Nearby Activities:

As mentioned earlier, South Padre Island KOA is close to lots to see and do - within 5 minutes you can be on the beach, riding horses, parasailing over Lagnua Madre Bay, enjoying a good meal or listening to some live music, dolphin watching, or fishing.

At the west end of the Park on Pier 19 is Osprey Fishing Trips which offers a variety of fishing excursions including bay fishing, deep sea fishing, Brownsville Port trips, and more. Osprey's fishing vessels sail right from the Pier 19 Dock. You're likely to catch a variety of fish and the Pier 19 restaurant will cook your catch for you. Can't get much better than that. If you don't catch any fish, then Pier 19 has some excellent food - all with a free magnificent sunset.

Across the street from South Padre Island KOA is SchlitterbahnWaterpark which during the summer has lots of fun and thrilling rides to enjoy. And within a five minute walk you can go on a dolphin watch, rent jet skis, go fishing, or parasail.

If you don't want to drive, then the free South Padre Island "Wave" will take you anywhere on the Island and it stops every 30 minutes in front of the KOA.

Campsites: low scores are given for sites that are right next to each other (good for getting to know your neighbors, but not what we’re looking for when we’re camping); have no lantern holder, no water or electricity, no fire pit, no grill, or no picnic table (or it’s rotten wood); have no trees and no view; the ground cover is crushed rock (my bare feet hate that stuff!); and they require a lot of work to get your rig level.

Things To Do: Bonus points are given for campgrounds that offer lots of fun things to do at the park or very nearby – this includes: biking, hiking, climbing, boating, entertainment, golf, swimming, fishing, volleyball, horseshoes, and more

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